Poll: Democratic challenger gaining in Illinois

GOP spokesman questions methodology

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A recent poll found that Democratic challenger Brad Ellsworth has pulled ahead of Rep. John Hostettler in a closely watched House race, but Republicans questioned the methodology of the poll.

More than 47 percent of registered voters in the 8th District favored Brad Ellsworth, while 32 percent favored Hostettler, according to the poll commissioned by the Evansville Courier & Press and conducted by Indiana State University's Sociology Research Lab. More than 16 percent were undecided.

The telephone survey of 603 registered voters in the district was conducted Sept. 6-21 and has a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Results were reported Sunday in the Evansville Courier & Press.

Ed Patru, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, questioned the poll's methodology. It surveyed registered voters instead of likely voters, and was conducted over more than two weeks instead of a few days.

A previous poll found voters about evenly split between Hostettler and Ellsworth, who is sheriff of Vanderburgh County. The WISH-TV Indiana Poll was a telephone survey of 400 likely voters and was conducted Sept. 5-8 by Maryland-based Research 2000.

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